This month, the CFPB proposed a rule to frame what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue bills. The proposed rule specifies that debt collectors can make no more than seven telephone calls weekly over a specific debt.

But some consumer advocates have panned the effort. For instance, the seven-call limit could be particularly tough on people with medical debt, says attorney April Kuehnhoff said. They may accumulate bills from several providers for a single medical event — a hospital, doctors, a lab and a nursing home, for example — and all could be in collections separately, potentially resulting in dozens of calls each week.